Hands-On with Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

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The Potter series evolves into a magical co-op action game.

By David Clayman

The Harry Potter series continues to evolve with its characters and its fans. J.K. Rowling's immensely popular series of books have always had a darker side. Hogwarts is both whimsical and foreboding, making her tales appealing to all ages. The film version of the fourth novel is currently in production along with the latest series of games from EA. In Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, the children are growing up, the threats are more visible, and the gameplay has undergone some major changes.

The Goblet of Fire will grace every platform with versions on PS2, Xbox, PC, GameCube, NDS, PSP, and GBA. We recently experienced single player and co-op mode on the consoles and captured most of our adventure on film. The Zelda-like gameplay of past Potter games has been exchanged for more action oriented combat that puts a heavy stress on the use of magic. Instead of traipsing about Hogwarts looking for books and beans Harry, Hermione, and Ron are almost constantly engaged in battle.

The game opens just after the Quidditch World Cup. The three students are challenged to fight off an attacking pack of Death Eaters and escape their ravaged camp site outside of the match grounds. This sends the trio into the woods to find the Portkey and navigate environmental hazards. Jinxes and Charms are used to dispense of enemies with the single tap of a button. In laymen's terms, this breaks down to firing damaging projectiles and casting spells that enact a status change in an enemy or the environment.

When the students return to Hogwarts, Harry is selected to compete in the Triwizard Tournament and they are introduced to their new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher - Mad-Eye Moody. Mad-Eye runs the players through a tutorial and explains how to combine spells and work together to solve puzzles. The obstacles are a variety of context sensitive events requiring the use of charms. For example, on the way to obtaining a Triwizard shield the friends are attacked by fiery salamanders. The only way to put out the flames is by casting the charm Aqua Eructo. Spells are automatically assigned as they are needed allowing players to simply hit a button in the direction of a threat. This way Harry automatically casts Wingardium Leviosa when he switches from extinguishing a fire to lifting an object. To add a bit more depth players can increase the power of the spell by jiggling the left analog stick.

When more than one character focuses their magical attack on a target the spells combine and become more powerful. Not only can teammates make life easier for their allies, but in some sections these co-op maneuvers are required to advance through the level. In the single player games the AI handles these sections with ease, but it's certainly more fun to work together with a friend. Players can jump in and out of the game at any time and the seven levels are presented in a fashion that encourages players to revisit the areas when they learn new and better magic. With access to higher level charms, new areas are unlocked and the gameplay can change drastically in areas that were previously explored.